Bush pardons Conroe 'average guy'Daughter's letter as part of a class got process started years after sludge case

RENÉE C. LEE, Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle |
November 24, 2008

Daniel Pue III, 64, with his wife, Susan, left, and daughter, Karen Flint, was sentenced more than 10 years ago for disposing hazardous waste. He was one of 14 people pardoned by President Bush Monday.

CONROE — Daniel Pue III and his wife, Susan, were at home on a lunch break from work when the phone rang about noon on Monday.

It was the call they had waited nearly five years to receive.

President George W. Bush had granted Daniel Pue a pardon, the caller said.

"We're so excited and just blessed," said Susan Pue. "We were praying every day for this. I just cried all afternoon."

Daniel Pue is one of 14 people — including two other Texans — who received a pardon from the outgoing president on Monday.

Daniel Pue by no means will go down in the annals of high-profile pardons. It's not surprising why. His original crime? Transporting sludge.

He was convicted in 1996 on federal charges of illegal storage, disposal and transportation of a hazardous waste without a permit, according to court records. The waste was pentachlorophenol and creosote sludge. He was sentenced to three years' probation with six months' home detention on each charge. The sentences were to run concurrently. He was also fined $1,000.

He said he transported waste as an employee for Conroe Creosoting Co. and believes he was unjustly prosecuted because he was just doing his job. The company, where he worked 17 years, paid his legal bills and closed shortly after he was sentenced, he said.

The White House didn't disclose why Daniel Pue received the pardon.

The father of two adult children and a grandfather of eight said he is thankful to the Lord.

"I didn't have any high pull," he said. "I'm just an average guy who always tried to do right in my life and obey the law."

After his sentence, Daniel Pue took seriously the advice of his parole officer who told him to closely follow the restrictions placed on him. His good behavior, she said, could one day make a good case for a pardon request.

He completed his six months' home confinement but never tried to pursue a pardon until his daughter, Karen Flint, decided to take action. As part of a college government class project, she wrote a letter to the president asking for a pardon for her father.

"We were challenged by our instructor to make a difference and write somebody in office," said Flint, 37. "Some students were writing about potholes. I had more important things on my mind. My dad was a top priority."

Flint mailed the letter in February 2003 and got a reply in May 2003 that included paperwork to apply for a pardon. Daniel Pue and his wife completed the application and mailed it. They received a reply about a month later seeking more information, he said.

The Pues didn't hear anything for another two years. Then one day, an FBI agent called about doing a pardon investigation, Daniel Pue said.

The agent interviewed Daniel Pue, his wife, family, neighbors and co-workers, and said the information would be sent to the pardon attorney for review. That was the last Daniel Pue heard about the pardon, until Monday.

"I'm ecstatic," said Flint, 37. "We have waited for so long, and year after year thought it wasn't going to happen. It's wonderful."

Daniel Pue said he continued working for the Conroe Creosoting Co. until it closed in 1997. He worked for a lumber yard and then for the Conroe Independent School District as a custodian. He later retired from the district but went back to work about two years ago at a Conroe machine shop, where he works in the quality control department.

The Pues plan on having a big party to celebrate.

With the pardon, Daniel Pue regains his civil liberties, such as the right to serve on a jury, own a firearm and vote.